A barman who set fire to a clubhouse he had worked at for some 20 years in a failed effort to hide the fact he stole and unsuccessfully gambled two nights’ worth of takings has been sentenced.

Jamie Borrett, 38, of Bulwark Road in Helston, appeared at Truro Crown Court today to be sentenced after being convicted by a jury following a trial of counts of arson and theft. He was acquitted of a more serious charge of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

The court previously heard that in July of last year, while he was working at Helston Cricket Club, Borrett stayed behind after it closed and accessed a night’s worth of takings kept in the safe.

He put the money into the fruit machine, but when he wasn’t successful, started a number of small fires to try and cover his tracks and explain away the missing money.

Borrett had worked at the cricket club for 20 years and such was the level of trust that he was one of only two people who had their own sets of keys.

Jamie Borrett pictured in 2004

The jury was previously told that the £500 jackpot gambling machine, which had been emptied the day before, was found to have £520 inside it.

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Cigarette butts with Borrett’s DNA were found in the area around the machine and its records revealed that somebody had been playing the machine until 2.51am. Shortly before midnight he dismissed an offer of help to clean up by a euchre player at the club.

Mitigating on behalf of Borrett, Bathsheba Cassel said that he was a man of limited criminal history who had lived a perfectly respectable life prior to this incident.

She added that he was in a stable relationship and maintained a close relationship with his parents who both attended court for the sentencing hearing.

Sentencing Borrett, Judge Simon Carr said that the circumstances of the case were worrying.

Jamie Borrett had worked at Helston Cricket Club for a number of years

He said: “You were in a position of high trust at Helston Cricket Club, where you’d worked behind the bar as a volunteer for some 20 years on a nearly daily basis.

“As a result of the trust you were one of one two people who had a safe key and in the day in question you had no doubt been drinking.

“Having previously won on the fruit machine you were attracted to it but when you didn’t have to money to pursue a big win, undoubtedly went to the safe and stole everything of value, two days’ worth of takings and the float.

“I have no doubt you had some misguided hope of paying the money back but, after putting all the money in, you reached an obvious level of desperation in that you had stolen from those who trusted you and you were the only person who could have done it.

“You then set a number of fires and, although they did limited damage, anyone who sets fires must know just how dangerous they can be if they take hold. You were only concerned with protecting yourself and not the clubhouse. It was a serious breach of trust.”

Ignoring Ms Cassel’s pleas for a suspended sentence, Judge Carr gave Borrett an eight-month sentence, of which he must serve half.

Detective Constable Martin Hearn, of Helston CID, said: “The offence appeared to be linked to the defendant having a problem with either alcohol, gambling, or both, and despite being a man who had given many years of service to Helston Cricket Club, was willing to destroy the clubhouse, in an attempt to cover his tracks.

"I would like to thank the witnesses,who had to give evidence during the trial in a case where they all knew the defendant.

"This all followed a lengthy investigation where the key evidence was Borrett being at the club on his own, cigarette butts left by the gambling machine with the defendants DNA on, and the safe remaining intact, having been opened with a key, which Borrett possessed.”

“The custodial sentence reflects the serious nature of the offence, and we must all be thankful that no persons were harmed, when considering this planned gas explosion which could have taken place at a well used community club.”